1. Field of the Invention
The present Application relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, producing charging details for charging customers for use of telecommunications services, of the type in which details of call items are compiled.
2. Related Art
The majority of telecommunications services are provided by the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in which the fundamental element of charging is that derived from the actual use made by the network. Thus, a customer may have access to literally millions of other customers connected to the network but, except for a modest standing charge, charges are only made when the customer establishes communication with another customer connected to the network.
In determining charges for a switched call, components which can affect the charge are (a) the geographical location of the customer being called, (b) the duration of the call and (c) the way in which the call is established. In particular, calls which are established by the direct dialling method are usually charges at a lower rate than charged calls connected by a manual operator.
Under a conventional billing environment, it is a relatively straightforward procedure to develop systems and apparatus for converting these parameters into actual billable amounts. Thus, after all of the necessary information has been collected from local exchanges, where it is stored as calls are being made, it is possible to supply this information to a procedure, whereupon charges are generated automatically and bills dispatched in a highly automated and efficient manner.
Problems can arise, firstly, when it becomes desirable to make modifications to the way in which physical usage of a network is translated into billable amounts. Particularly as telecommunications environments are becoming more competitive, it is desirable to implement more sophisticated marketing tools, so as to provide a competitive edge and so as to maximise revenue from a client base, which is itself becoming more and more sophisticated.
Secondly, technical advances are made which increase the variety of types of call available, such as new exchange systems which may allow a call made on one telephone to be charged to another telephone account, possibly using charge cards or similar account procedures. Furthermore, charge cards may also be used for connecting a customer in a first country to a customer in a second country, while the bill is actually supplied to the originating customer in a third country.
Thirdly, problems can arise due to external charging or legislative constraints, such as variations being made to value added tax or similar taxes added to telephony charges.
It can be appreciated that it would be desirable to provide a more sophisticated system for the charging of usage within a telecommunications network, if only to take account of fiscal and technological constraints with minimal effort. However, having made progress towards overcoming many of the problems associated with changes of this type occurring, it would also be desirable to take full advantage of such a system, so as to be able to implement new marketing tools quickly and efficiently, preferably ahead of competitors, while at the same time minimising the risk of errors being introduced into the system.
A marketing tool which has particular advantage is that of providing discounts for particular types of call. As new marketing opportunities arise, it is advantageous to facilitate the incorporation of new discounting schemes, for instance so as to encourage increased use of the network during off-peak periods. Furthermore, in addition to providing such services, it is also necessary to provide mechanisms by which customers may be selectively given access to these new services. Thus, with the inclusion of sophisticated discounting schemes, environments would exist in which, for a given collection of call usage data, the actual amount billed to a customer will depend upon whether the customer is signed up for a particular type of service.